At a bitterly cold Brentford Community Stadium, Ivan Toney continued his impressive start to the season, scoring the opening goal in a hotly contested Championship match-up.
Norwich started the game the better of the two sides, with Emi Buendía and Temmu Pukki causing the Bees' defence a number of problems in the opening minutes.
However, Brentford took the lead courtesy of Toney's well placed finish in the 27th minute.
A flurry of Norwich chances followed, with Buendia and Mario Vrancic going close. But it would be substitute, Kenny McLean, who would draw the game level by scoring a late equaliser in the 87th minute.
Story of the match
Emi Buendía, the creative spark for Norwich City last season in the Premier League, was central to all of The Canaries' opening attacks.
On the 12th minute, the Argentine broke free and was left one-on-one with Ethan Pinnock; Buendía twist one way, before turning Pinnock inside out, creating a fantastic goal scoring opportunity. However, David Raya in the Brentford net was equal to the shot, tipping Buendía's effort over the bar.
Early Norwich pressure would be in vain. Ivan Toney, who has taken to the Championship like a duck to water, opened the scoring on the 27th minute.
Bryan Mbeumo found space on the right-hand side to attack the Norwich defence. The French forward sent a low cross along the face of goal, and with the league's top scorer in the box, there was only going to be one outcome. Toney just had to tap the ball into the back of the net with his right foot, giving Thomas Frank's side the early lead.
Brentford nearly doubled their lead on the 40th minute, when Ivan Toney forced a miraculous save from Tim Krul to keep The Canaries in the game. Toney towered over Ben Gibson to direct a header into the bottom corner, but Krul had other ideas; The Dutch keeper flung himself at the goalbound effort, stretching his finger tips to the ball and keeping his side in the game heading into half-time.
Krul was called upon yet again in the second half. The experienced 32-year-old, at point-blank range, denied Henrik Dalsgaard from doubling the lead, standing tall to block the shot.
Brentford withstood a number of Norwich chances in the second half. Farke gambled on Jordan Hugill to change the The Canaries' fortune, but he drew a blank.
City struggled to break down the stubborn Bees' defence. Top scorer from the 2018-19 season, Pukki failed to carve out a real shooting opportunity, and Buendía was limited to long-range efforts for the majority of the game.
The resilient Brentford defence was finally breached in the dying embers of the match. Kenny McLean lined up a long range effort from 25-yards-out, it cannoned off Jacob Sørensen, wrong-footing David Raya and breaking Brentford hearts.
Takeaways
Toney the next in line...
Brentford's ruthless business model, which has taken the Championship by storm and been one of the main reasons for the Bees' rise in recent seasons, seems to have struck gold once again.
Arriving from Peterborough United in the summer, Ivan Toney has filled the boots' of his predecessor, the departed Ollie Watkins, seamlessly.
Toney took his tally to eight for the season with a well placed tap-in, midway through the first-half. The 24-year-old showcased a number of qualities which will already have Premier League clubs' begining their vicious circle around the forward.
Cantwell had his head turned?
Hauled off at half-time by Daniel Farke, is it possible that Todd Cantwell has had his head turned by the interest over the summer?
Leeds United, Aston Villa and Liverpool were all rumored as potential destinations for the England Under-21 international.
However, nothing would materialise for Cantwell and he was forced to stay at Carrow Road. The midfielder has struggled to adapt to life back in the Championship, and his form will be a concern going forward for Farke's side.